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For the perfect cup of drip coffee, always use the highest quality fresh roasted beans, grind the beans immediately before brewing, add the proper amount of coffee, pour in cool, fresh water, then brew your pot of coffee between 195 and 205 degrees (f) in under 6 minutes. Your easy-to-make coffee will taste richer, more robust and flavorful than the expensive coffeehouse chains – and still cost less than 15 cents a cup! |
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1. Use Fresh Roasted Coffee Beans. Start by buying the highest quality fresh roasted coffee beans or roast your own medium-to-dark roast coffee beans within 2 weeks of use. Never use black or excessively oily beans commonly used by coffeehouse chains, as these burned beans are often bitter and lose much of their inherent coffee flavor during the roasting process. Many coffeehouses charge extra to mask the bitter flavor of their over-roasted beans by adding cream, caramel, mocha, or other additives to their coffee. | |
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2. Properly Grind the Beans Immediately Before Brewing. For flavorful drip coffee, use a burr mill grinder (disk or conical) set at medium to medium-fine grind and always grind the coffee beans just minutes before brewing. If the grind is too course, it may taste weak or flat. If the grind is too fine, it may be overextracted and taste bitter. Adjust the grind according to your taste. An inexpensive blade grinder (or spice mill) can be used, but it tends to produce uneven, overly fine coffee grounds that often leads to inconsistent brew quality. Italymax Recommends: • Cuisinart DBM8 Automatic Burr Mill • Capresso Infinity Electric Burr Grinder • Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder |
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3. Dose – Use the Proper Ratio of Coffee to Water. The proper amount of ground coffee you use is essential to making a good cup of coffee. If you use too much ground coffee, your cup will taste too strong and/or bitter. Too little and it will be weak and less flavorful. Depending on your taste preference, use 1 to 2 level tablespoons of coffee for every five ounces of water for drip brewing. If you’re weighing your coffee, use from 0.18 to 0.36 ounces (5 to 10 grams) of freshly ground coffee per five ounce cup of water. We personally use 2 1/2 ounces for an 8 cup (5-oz each) pot – about 0.30 oz per cup. | |
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4. Use Good Water. Coffee is about 98.5 percent water, so the water quality is a significant factor in determining its taste. Use filtered or spring water when possible (never distilled or softened water). Use fresh tap water if it tastes good and there’s no chlorine flavor or other contaminates. Never make coffee with water you wouldn’t drink straight. If you use tap water, let it run for a few seconds before filling your coffee maker. Always pour cool water rather than hot in your drip brewer. | |
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5. Brew at the Proper Temperature. Start brewing with a coffee maker or inexpensive pour-over method that is capable of making good coffee! It begins with a coffee maker that is capable of brewing at temperatures between 195 and 205 degrees (f) for optimal coffee extraction. A colder brew temperature will produce a flat, underextracted coffee flavor, while boiling water (in the 212 degree range) will overextract, burn and degrade the flavor of the coffee. Italymax Recommends: • Bonavita BV1800 with Glass Carafe • Bonavita BV1800 with Thermal Carafe • Technivorm KBG741 and KBT741 with Thermal Carafe • Bonavita Porcelain Immersion Dripper • Aerobie AeroPress • Bodum French Press • Hario V60 Glass Coffee Dripper |
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6. Brew the Coffee Quickly. For the best flavor, the total brewing time for a drip coffee maker should be under 6 minutes for a 40 ounce pot. If the coffee tastes bitter, for example, it may be overextracted. This is often the result of a very slow brewing cycle that is common among most home brewers. For pour-over coffee, the brewing time depends on the temperature of the water, the rate of the pour, the grind of the coffee, and the size of the orifice through which the coffee drips. When the brewing has finished, immediately remove the filter basket to prevent stale coffee drippings from falling into the carafe that can cause bitterness. Serve immediately and enjoy! |
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Don’t Just Drink Coffee – Start Tasting Your Coffee! |
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